Yearning for a poem of remorse and regret. Edgar Allen Poe (1809 – 1849) the great American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic best known for his poetry and short stories penned Lenore in 1831 under the title ‘A Pæan.’. Still a beloved poem that is criticized, reviewed, and studied almost two hundred years later.
From PoemAnalysis.com Lenore is a poem “in which Edgar Allan Poe speaks on themes of mourning and loss. He explores true sorrow and what it looks like.”
The title Lenore appeared in the poem in a reprint in 1834 where the main subject is named, drawing parallelism to Poe’s arguably most famous work; The Raven.
Personally, Lenore is a struggle with spirituality and faith during the grieving process. Written in the voice of a grieving husband scholars are quick to connect Lenore with the death of Virginia, Poe’s wife, who contracted tuberculosis in 1843 and died in 1847, however, the poem would have been in circulation for many years by this point. With the Cholera outbreak spreading between 1817 and 1824, most of the world would have been affected. With almost 8.75 million deaths, Poe would be at ease relating to readers and audiences as he offered an empathetic voice to the families of those involved.
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